Audio 3:41
Case against Speaker Slipper back in court

Samantha HawleyUpdated
Thu Oct 04 10:01:00 EST 2012

The sexual harassment case against the Speaker, Peter Slipper will be back in the federal court this morning. One independent MP, Tony Windsor, says he'll support his return to the chair if Mr Slipper is cleared of any wrongdoing. Mr Windsor says he gives Tony Abbott a fifty fifty chance of being Opposition Leader come the next election.

Transcript

TONY EASTLEY: The independent MP, Tony Windsor says he'll support a return of Peter Slipper to the Speaker's chair if he's cleared of any wrong doing in the civil and criminal allegations against him.

The sexual harassment case against Mr Slipper will be back in court this morning after an alternative process failed yesterday.

Mr Windsor also gave AM his assessment on whether Tony Abbott would remain as Opposition Leader.

From Canberra, Samantha Hawley reports.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: A room full of lawyers and nine hours of mediation came to nothing.

ANTHONY MCCLELLAND: Anything that has occurred upstairs cannot be disclosed or discussed so I will not be answering any questions unfortunately.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: James Ashby emerged from the nine hour mediation session with his media manger, Anthony McClelland who read a short statement.

ANTHONY MCCLELLAND: This is not a case about money.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Many hours later, the speaker Peter Slipper, left the building but wouldn't answer any questions.

REPORTER: Mr Slipper, how did it go today?

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: James Ashby settled his case against the Federal Government last week for $50,000.

But the sexual harassment case against Mr Slipper will be back in the Federal Court in Sydney this morning.

ANTHONY MCCLELLAND: To proceed against Mr Slipper and to hold the Commonwealth to the settlement that they offered and that we accepted.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: The Federal Government says it's planning on reinstalling Mr Slipper to the Speaker's chair as quickly as possible if he's cleared by the court and of allegations he misused cab charges.

TONY WINDSOR: I wouldn't see an issue with him being able to return to the chair if in fact all those things happen.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: The independent MP Tony Windsor says he would try and stop any the Opposition attempt to obstruct Mr Slipper's return.

TONY WINDSOR: It may well come to a vote in the Parliament as to who resumes the chair.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: If it did come down to a vote then you certainly would support his return?

TONY WINDSOR: Well I couldn't see how I would object to it.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Mr Windsor says the acting speaker, Anna Burke has done an incredible job in circumstances where he says the Opposition is trying to create a sense of chaos, particularly in Question Time.

TONY WINDSOR: That's been their agenda for quite some time so if you can create that demeanour in the building it adds to the sort of public view that the hung parliament isn't working. You know, people like Alan Jones and Hadley and some of the News Limited writers for instance, they've preyed on that process and if you create the chaos, it'll be written about. The people will pick it up and then therefore there must be chaos. That perception is not reality but it is something that whoever the Speaker of the day is has to wrestle with.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Do you think that Tony Abbott will lead the Liberal Party to the next election?

TONY WINDSOR: I'd say he's got a 50/50 chance of being there. I think there was a view six months ago that he would be there irrespective of the tactics that he was using. I think that's diminished quite dramatically and partly because of his own agenda in a sense that he developed an agenda that this Parliament wouldn't last and he prosecuted that agenda extraordinarily well in terms of being an opposition leader but you can't live forever on short term stuff like that.

I think Tony Abbott is, you know, living to regret that the Parliament has outlasted his strategy timing in a sense and that he's paying somewhat of a penalty for that. Whether he can readjust himself to create the view that he is a potential prime minister, that's the challenge for him. In my view, for what it's worth, Malcolm Turnbull is head and shoulders over Tony Abbott.